418 Major W. R. Thompson on the [Ibis, 
inhabitants for use as firewood, and it is hoped that legislation 
will step in to preserve those remaining. 
Included with Alderney is the small islet of Burhou, 
about 1J miles distant and separated from it by the passage 
known as the Swinge, through which, at spring tides, the 
current sets with great violence. There are also several out¬ 
lying rocks of which the most notable are the Casquets, the 
Ortac, the Garden Bocks, and Coque Lithou. Both Burhou 
and the above mentioned outlying rocks are exceedingly 
difficult to approach owing to the strong and uncertain 
currents, and can only be visited in calm weather. 
Owing to the propinquity of the French coast many birds 
pass to and fro at will in both winter and summer, either as 
the spirit moves them or as the weather conditions dictate, 
so that a species which is very numerous one day may be 
absent or almost entirely absent on another, and for this 
reason it is sometimes very difficult to discriminate accurately 
between a resident and a bird of passage. 
Very little appears to have been written on the ornithology 
of Alderney. 4 The Channel Islands/ by Ansted and Latham, 
published in. 1862, contains a list of birds purporting to be 
found in Alderney, but, admirable as this work undoubtedly 
is in other respects, it can scarcely be looked upon as an 
authority on ornithology, if only by reason of the Editor’s 
remarks in his preface, where he states : 44 The Editor not 
being conversant with the details of Botany and Zoology, 
has sought and obtained the assistance of many friends and 
acquaintances.” 
The next book in point of time would appear to be 4 The 
Birds of Guernsey and the neighbouring Islands of Alderney, 
Sark, Herm, Jethou/ by Cecil Smith, published in 1879. 
This book appears to be reliable and is very interesting 
reading. Although now very out of date in many respects, 
it still remains the text-book on the subject. 
In the autumn of 1898 the island was visited by Dr. \\ r . 
Eagle Clarke, and his observations on the birds appeared in 
‘ The Ibis ’ for April 1899. He remained but a week, and 
